Final plea for mercy before jury weighs death penalty in murder of Broward deputy

Yutap Chen, SunSentinel.com

Lawyer Samuel Halpern whispers to defendant Eloyn Ingraham during the penalty phase of Broward Sheriff Brian Tephford murder trial at the Broward County Clerk of Courts in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, July 12, 2018.

The death penalty is intended for the worst of the worst killers, defense lawyer Samuel Halpern told a jury Friday morning.

Eloyn Ingraham, convicted of murdering Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Tephford in an ambush in Tamarac nearly 12 years ago, is not the worst of the worst, his lawyer said.

Halpern was the last lawyer to deliver closing arguments in the penalty phase of the marathon trial of Ingraham and his co-defendants, Andre Delancy and Bernard Forbes. All three were convicted in March of murdering Tephford.

If the jury recommends it, they could be sentenced to death. If not, they will spend the rest of their lives in prison.

When Andre Delancy, Bernard Forbes and Eloyn Ingraham killed Tephford in an ambush in 2006, they did not care about the details of his life, prosecutor...

According to prosecutors and trial testimony, Ingraham was a passenger in a car that Tephford pulled over late on Nov. 11, 2006. With no motive that was presented to the jury, Ingraham called Forbes and had him and Delancy head to his location, where they opened fire, killing the deputy, State Attorney Mike Satz said.

“He is not devoid of humanity,” Halpern said of Ingraham. “Far from it. The death penalty should be reserved for people who have lost their humanity. Eloyn Ingraham is not one of those people.”

The jury will return to Broward Circuit Judge Paul Backman’s courtroom Monday morning. After the judge gives them instructions on the death penalty law, the jurors will be sequestered until they reach a decision.

A single juror rejecting the death penalty can take execution off the table. If they decide in favor of execution, Backman can either override their recommendation or endorse it, sending the prisoners to death row.